Sourav Ganguly has denied his outrageous comments published in a Bengali daily which sparked debate all around India.

Ganguly gave interviews to several Bengali papers in the lead-up to the first Test in Bangalore but the most sensational comments came in a supposed interview with Aajkal.

"I have played badly in only one series (in Sri Lanka)," he was quoted as saying. "Yet every Tom, Dick and Harry is playing in the team.

"There are players who haven't scored in the last three series for India, even for the last one year. There are some who have changed their hairstyle more than they have scored for India.

"If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this? After all, I have played 400 matches for India."

However the Indian media manager read out a prepared statement from Ganguly to the press box shortly before the player came out to bat on Saturday.

"The reports of an interview from a Bengali daily published in other newspapers are false," it said. "I have not given such an interview to anyone. I request you to clarify with me before publishing views from other sources."

Ganguly had been widely criticised for making the comments ahead of such an important Test series.